The Shooting Edge - Customer service review

TSE.... I'm a member,,, had quite a few bad past experiences due to staff with terrible attitudes.... to a point of planning to not renewing my membership,,,,, however things have turned around significantly with a more knowledgable friendly staff... I'm apologize for not knowing his name ,, but the Filipino guy working for you is a star and an asset to your company...
 
I'm a member as well, going on 6 years now. If I have an issue, and I have, I take it up with JR, or Heather, or a few other of the staff I know. There has definitely been a few individuals that made me wonder WTF, but hey, Calgary is a crazy city and these goons are EVERYWHERE! not just TSE....staffing anything is just nuts in Alberta.

I would never bring a problem anywhere but JR, as feedback both positive and negative can help him improve the business, not stall it out with bad service.

Only once have I ever had someone there make me insanely angry by asking me if I was "really that stupid"! I lost my cool and walked out considering not renewing ever again.....but alas.....he moved on, and now owns another range somewhere ;)
 
TSE.... I'm a member,,, had quite a few bad past experiences due to staff with terrible attitudes.... to a point of planning to not renewing my membership,,,,, however things have turned around significantly with a more knowledgable friendly staff... I'm apologize for not knowing his name ,, but the Filipino guy working for you is a star and an asset to your company...

Thanks for giving us a second chance. Yes, Alan has been with me for a looooong time and takes his job here very seriously.

For all of the complaints about staff turn over; I did some number crunching and have found that I have had 80% of the staff here over a year, 56% over 2 years and 40% over 3 years. This is not counting managers. I think, given the Calgary market, I am doing pretty good good.

JR
 
TSE.... I'm a member,,, had quite a few bad past experiences due to staff with terrible attitudes.... to a point of planning to not renewing my membership,,,,, however things have turned around significantly with a more knowledgable friendly staff... I'm apologize for not knowing his name ,, but the Filipino guy working for you is a star and an asset to your company...

I believe the gentleman you are referring to is Gabe. He is fantastic to deal with and will answer questions to the best of his abilities. If he doesn't know something, he will find someone who does.
 
I also among others had a terrible experience at The edge. After I decided to boast for another range in town and how I was a dedicated buyer from now of this was the messages I exchanged with Heather..... This is no way to bash TSE or stand up for them. I have made my choice whether or not I will be a customer of theirs in the future already... This is simply to try and relieve some he said she said about how they deal with customers... Take it as a positive or negative. The choice is yours to judge how they react to reviews and base your desicions with a little less he said she said and an actual recorded conversation.


Conversation started June 29
Heather
6/29, 12:31am
Heather

Hello M,

I am the General Manager of The Shooting Edge. I noticed you panned us in your review of the Calgary Shooting Centre. I don't recall receiving any complaints from you. Would you call me (403-720-4867) so we can discuss the situation that was so horrific you felt the need to slam us on a public forum. I noticed you like both ranges so hopefully you can understand my concern and confusion.

I look forward to your call.

Sincerely,

Heather
July 1
MPettis
7/1, 11:06am
MPettis

Hello Heather,

Thank you for your reply, The reasoning why I gave a bad review is simple really,
M Pettis
7/1, 11:08am
M Pettis

When I myself was a new shooter and gun owner I approached the edge with great excitement and when I went in I was very pleased with the selection of not only guns but other fun items.... When I approached the desk though it was a whole different feeling. I asked some very beginner questions and was told in not so many words to go away as there were "paying" customers.
M Pettis
7/1, 11:09am
M Pettis

That was my initial upset that made me feel belittled and unappreciated or taken seriously. I then went over to The shooting center " which was my second choice based on website info" there I was greeted with smiles and helpful answers to all of my questions. I immediately purchase a brand new (FIREARM.. RAPLACED WHAT WAS ACTUALLY PURCHASED AS ITS MY BUSINESS) from them ( as you may recall I was not considered a paying customer by your staff at the time)
M Pettis
7/1, 11:11am
M Pettis

Ever since then I have been very fond of the shooting center and their staff, I have always been welcomed and not felt stupid for asking a question I do not know the answer to. I have purchased many firearms from then and everytime I have been very pleased with the service.

I have gone to your store many times as your selection of "fun" items is beyong enjoyable, you have great items although service has never once been welcoming.

I even brought my nephew "new shooter" to your guys for his first experiance and was met with the same service or lack there of. so I took my nephew out the the shooting centre where we had a great range day and I left purchasing him a brand new (FIREARM REPLACED INFO AGAIN AS ITS MY PERSONAL BUSINESS SORRY)
I also in previous months tried to contact you guys regarding guns I wished to purchase and was not once answered by any member of your staff and felt as though my questions or requests were simple sent out the door.

Heather
7/1, 12:49pm
Heather

Thank you for responding in such a complete manner. We have had quite a large staff change ..for good or bad I don't know yet. I will send you input to the retail manager. Any chance you have dates or names?
M Pettis
7/1, 1:01pm
M Pettis

No I do not have dates and names it was not enough for me to pay attention to. I hope the staff change was for the better. The main negative review I hear about your store in the community is lack of responses and customer service. I am sure if the employees treat new and old shooters with great respect you will have a lovely store. You do have a great selection of fun items which makes your company stand out.


I HAVE REPLACED NAMES OF FIREARMS PURCHASED AS IT IS MY RIGHT TO HAVE PRIVACY AND DO NOT WISH OTHERS TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE.
This was my only interaction with TSE Heather... My mind has been made up one way or the other and this is once again simply for others to review how my situation was dealt with in a no he said she said caption... it is what it is... make up your own minds and please dont be sheeps.

Edited to remove full names**** don't want to invade others right to privacy if full names shouldnt be tossed around.
 
I also among others had a terrible experience at The edge. After I d situation was dealt with in a no he right to privacy if full names shouldnt be tossed around.

That was 15 minutes wasted trying to understand what this post was even about...lol

I think I got the premise though. Bad experience with a part timer at the gun counter, went to TSC and had fun, reviewed TSC, mentioned TSE, was contacted by heather so she could get info and rectify a possible issue at TSE.

Soooooo........if I get bad service I act like an adult and speak to a manager. Especially in Calgary or Edmonton where service sucks everywhere lol!

The fact she wants to better her business is a good thing, and proactive.
 
Likely because this thread is not an accurate representation on the way they do business, but more so half truths from displeased individuals. You're never going to have as many satisfied customers leave reviews as dissatisfied ones, and the dissatisfied ones are almost always louder.

I bet if you put a poll on customer service at say...Prophet River, Frontier Firearms, Prairie Guntraders you'd probably see zero negative comments. Not many people are steppin up and giving praise to this company.
 
After reading through the whole post, ive gotta say something. I was a member of TSE for many years before moving from Calgary. I saw so many different staff in that place it was crazy. They've had their ups and downs over the years and believe me it has hurt them having those "bad apples" behind the counter. Even for me service was up and down, but any time I talked to JR about something it was always rectified. I have always found him VERY approachable and quick to try solve problems. EVERY company has its share of service issues, especially if they ship with Canpar..... I've dealt with most gun stores in alberta over the years, and all in all TSE is one of the better ones to deal with in my opinion. Awesome selection, decent prices, and if you take the time to talk to people, their senior staff are pretty decent. My only real complaint about TSE is their online store, but that's a separate issue.

You need to remember a large majority of people VENT here. Real problems get solved in person. Unfortunately sometimes you need to go to the top to get them solved. But remember, don't believe everything you read / see on the internet.... especially considering some of the posts / posters on sites like his one.

BTW, I still stop in TSE any time I'm in town just to see what they have, usually find something I like, and JR always says hi to me if he sees me.

Anyway, that's my $.02 for what its worth. I hate seeing stuff like this played out in "public" - it never comes out in the right light
 
I like the man JR and his store. It was the first firearms store I had ever been in so I was obviously intimidated. I got to meet JR once, but it was fleeting, however the man was friendly. I have bought several firearms from his store as well as the accompanying ammo and the staff were actually very friendly to me. The first thing I see when I get to the doors is usually a large smile from a face that I do not know. But still a smile. That to me is welcoming. I was a complete amateur in every way when I first walked in. The first person in my family to ever care to learn to use firearms. I didn't know a darn thing. I asked as many questions as I felt like. Not one person made fun of me, or did anything childish. I am somewhat surprised to hear all the negative input. I would consider buying from The Shooting Edge anytime.. I guess mistakes are made in life, but I never had anything happen to me. Thankfully.

I just bought something from P&D which is going through its process now, as well I just purchased something from Wanstalls, and from Canada Ammo.. My first time from those companies.. hopefully my experiences with them will be just as nice as it was with TSE and company. :cheers:
 
3 things...

1 - There are THREE sides (not 2) to every story... "mine", "yours", and the truth.

2 - I have had good & bad experiences at The Shooting Edge... And I've been shopping there for 5+ yrs, & I'm an Associate Member.

3 - RE: JR's comment about "bad apples"... ~cough~ Tony ~cough~







I believe the gentleman you are referring to is Gabe. He is fantastic to deal with and will answer questions to the best of his abilities. If he doesn't know something, he will find someone who does.

Thanks,,,, I wouldn't want to go in there and call him Alan... LOL!

HA - LARIOUS !

* Alan is, by far, JR's best employee... Gabe is a close 2nd. :p
 
My first experience with was in person last weekend. We had driven up from Lethbridge and I needed some accessories for a Fabarm Shotgun. I was shocked to be told that only the gunsmith sells Fabarm parts and he wasn't in. I had checked on the parts and the store hours but didn't think I need to check if the gunsmith would be in, who would to buy a piece of accessory rail and a mag extension. Anyway YOU DO. The staff was busy but nice, I tried to buy no less than 6 smaller to midpriced items from them $75 ~ $200 all sold out or unavailable. If I wanted a 1300 + AR I had a lot of choices (and some nice ones) but not so much for holsters, sights etc. Anyway the staff didn't get frustrated or try to ignore us an finally when we went to leave he recommend another store that would have 3 of the items I needed badly for an up coming event. I called them, they had it, I was happy. sooooooo I'm sorry some of you have had bad customer service but the staff treated my family well and despite not having anything to sell us themselves told us where we could get what we needed.
 
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I was by tse on Tuesday morning 40 mins before opening to register for a course. I called ahead and when I arrived the door was locked. A woman (who works there) was just getting to work and asked me to hold for a moment. She came back and I was able to sign myself and my friend up for our course as I would have had no other option to get this done this week. Thanks to the boys for opening the doors early for me!
 
Likely because this thread is not an accurate representation on the way they do business, but more so half truths from displeased individuals. You're never going to have as many satisfied customers leave reviews as dissatisfied ones, and the dissatisfied ones are almost always louder.

It also comes down to numbers: we are busier than most shops. This means more transactions and more chances to screw up. We are not a big box store, but with about $2 million in rotating inventory, we move a lot of stuff and unfortunately, we do make mistakes.

The double edged sword here is that we post and monitor this site so we can be contacted, but it also means people feel free to chime in over somethings, and they may be the most insignificant of issues that could have been solved by a quick phone call or email, but instead CGN was the first stop. This soon escalates and before you know it.... Dramaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I am really proud of the team I have now in place and they guys and girls here have, for the most part, have been with me for awhile, so product knowledge is getting stronger and stronger all of the time. We also just hired a gentleman, Jon, who has been a counter sales guy for about 2 decades in the industry and look forward to his tutelage with the younger staff.

While I would love to think we could reach perfection, I know what the realities are. However, the journey is still ongoing.

JR
 
It also comes down to numbers: we are busier than most shops. This means more transactions and more chances to screw up. We are not a big box store, but with about $2 million in rotating inventory, we move a lot of stuff and unfortunately, we do make mistakes.

The double edged sword here is that we post and monitor this site so we can be contacted, but it also means people feel free to chime in over somethings, and they may be the most insignificant of issues that could have been solved by a quick phone call or email, but instead CGN was the first stop. This soon escalates and before you know it.... Dramaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I am really proud of the team I have now in place and they guys and girls here have, for the most part, have been with me for awhile, so product knowledge is getting stronger and stronger all of the time. We also just hired a gentleman, Jon, who has been a counter sales guy for about 2 decades in the industry and look forward to his tutelage with the younger staff.

While I would love to think we could reach perfection, I know what the realities are. However, the journey is still ongoing.

JR
I would not like to add to the drama and bear no ill will against anyone in particular. But I was less than impressed with the sales dept. I made numerous calls and emails trying to purchase 2 fabarm shotguns. And could never really nail down if and when I could get what I wanted. Everyone I spoke to was nice enough but in the end I never got what I wanted and ended up finding a different gun elsewhere and purchased it there.
So I guess you folks are turning over enough product not to miss a sale here and there.
I would shop there again but it would not be my first choice for a purchase.
 
SSpike,

EVERY sale is important!

If you every fail to get the info or service you deserve, my direct email is jr@theshootingedge.com and the retail manager's is stevena@theshootingedge.com

Regards,

JR
I'll keep it in mind. Like I said, I don't feel hard done by or personally offended. From what I could gather from the staff the fabarm orders are difficult to track, as to when and what will show up.
 
I would not like to add to the drama and bear no ill will against anyone in particular. But I was less than impressed with the sales dept. I made numerous calls and emails trying to purchase 2 fabarm shotguns. And could never really nail down if and when I could get what I wanted. Everyone I spoke to was nice enough but in the end I never got what I wanted and ended up finding a different gun elsewhere and purchased it there.
So I guess you folks are turning over enough product not to miss a sale here and there.
I would shop there again but it would not be my first choice for a purchase.

If the TSE website was more e-commerce friendly I think they'd avoid a lot of problems.
 
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